LITMIR.BIZ

       Eight

      “Don’t start thinking anything’s changed,” Jack warned her the next morning.

      Rita bit her lip and hid a smile. She had been expecting this. She’d known that after what they’d shared the night before Jack would try to pull back again. Pretend that last night hadn’t happened. And she’d come up with a way to combat it. She wasn’t going to argue. She was simply going to ignore his arguments.

      Rita had had a long night to think about this. Naturally there hadn’t been any snuggling or cuddling after their amazing bout of lovemaking—and that’s what it had been whether he admitted it or not. It wasn’t just sex. It was making love. And though Rita had spent the rest of the night alone in the guest room, she’d been more hopeful than she had been in six months.

      He might not realize it yet, but there was a chink in the wall he was hiding behind. For one brief moment, he’d let his guard down. Let her in. Sure, he’d slammed it shut again quickly, but now that she’d made it through once, she was determined to do it again. Alone in the silence of her own room, Rita had vowed to smash those walls around Jack until nothing was left but the two of them standing in the rubble.

      “Okay,” she said brightly. “Got it. Nothing’s changed. This ship is just gorgeous.”

      “What?”

      She looked at him, pleased to see the confusion on his features. If she kept him off balance, it would be harder for him to plant his feet behind that damn wall.

      “I said this ship is gorgeous.” Rita did a fast circle on the main deck of The Sea Queen, taking in the gleaming wood floors, the shining windows and the sweep of sea stretching out behind it. “I’ve never been on a cruise ship before. For some reason I didn’t realize just how big they are.”

      “Yeah,” he said irritably, “it’s great.”

      “Thanks for inviting me along to see the ship.”

      “I didn’t invite you. You invited you.”

      “True,” she said with a shrug, “but you didn’t fight me on it. That was practically gracious. Congrats.”

      He frowned again and Rita had to fight to hide the smile tugging at her mouth. “So, do you really have to meet with the captain?”

      Still frowning, he glanced around, then up at the bridge. “Just to say hello, let him know I’m doing a walk-through.”

      “Do you want me with you or can I wander?”

      “Come with me, then wander,” he said, heading toward the wide open doors that led to the main lobby and reception area.

      Rita was grinning as she followed him inside, then she stopped dead, her mouth dropped open and she did a slow turn to take it all in.

      The Sea Queen was palatial. A tiled floor was inlaid with a depiction of what looked like a Middle Ages golden crown. There was a staircase that was so wide she suspected trucks could pass through side by side. Copper railings lined the second and third stories that looked down onto the lobby and deep scarlet rugs climbed the stairs. The ceiling was draped with pendant lights in shades of copper and brass and the walls boasted murals of what, again, looked like the Middle Ages. There was a theme here that went toward ancient royalty, with a hint of magic.

      “At night, the pendant lights glow, and starlight flickers against the black ceiling.”

      “Wow.” She didn’t even look at him. “I seriously love this. It’s very...magical. I half expect to see wizards and witches walk through the doors.”

      “Good,” he said, shoving both hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “That’s what we were going for. The club rooms and bars are all done with the same kind of decor. A little mystical. A lot upscale.”

      Now she did look at him in time to see a flash of pride cross his face. “It’s really spectacular,” she said.

      Nodding, he said, “Let’s find the captain, then I’ll show you a few of the staterooms.”

      She took his hand and counted it a victory when he didn’t shake her off, instead holding on to her fingers as if she were a lifeline.

      On the bridge, Rita was stunned. It was a huge room, with windows giving the crew an incredibly wide view of the sea. There were enough computers to make it look like a spaceship rather than a cruise ship.

      Captain McManus, a tall, gray-haired man with sharp brown eyes and an easy smile, welcomed them both then took Jack to one side to go over a few things. Rita didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to look around and appreciate the nearly bird’s-eye view of the ocean and the Long Beach harbor.

      There were two tall command chairs that reminded her of something off the Starship Enterprise’s bridge and counters filled with screens, blinking lights and men and women busily going over everything. She could only imagine how busy they were when they were actually at sea.

      And what would that be like, she wondered. Being on this luxurious ship, sailing off to other countries, meeting new people. She looked up at Jack. “You’ve been on a lot of cruises, haven’t you?”

      “A few,” he said, looking out over the water. “When we were kids, my folks liked to pile us all on one of the ships for a couple of weeks.” His features softened at the good memory. “Mom used to say it was the only way she could get all of us to stay in the same place for any length of time.”

      “That must have been fun,” she said, a little wistfully. “I’ve never been on one myself. Just a little too spooky, I guess. All of that water—”

      He shook his head and said, “Doesn’t seem that way, though. Once you’re on board, it’s like you’re on your own private island.”

      “Well,” she said, glancing around, “this ship is big enough that maybe even I wouldn’t be nervous.”

      “I can’t imagine you scared of anything,” Jack said.

      She looked up into his eyes. If he only knew that the one thing that scared her was losing him again. She’d mourned him once and now she had him back. Rita was determined that she wouldn’t let him go this time.

      “You ready to see other parts of the ship?”

      She half turned to look up at Jack. “Sure. I’d love to. But first let me say, the bridge is amazing. And a little disappointing, too,” she added.

      “Really?” The captain laughed and asked, “Why?”

      “Well, it sounds silly, but I sort of expected to see a wheel up here.”

      Jack smiled and the captain let out a laugh that had several of his officers turning to stare at him in surprise.

      “No,” Captain McManus said finally. “Everything’s done by computer now. Not as romantic but much more efficient.”

      “I suppose,” she said, then held out one hand to the man. “Thank you for letting me look around.”

      “For the boss’s wife?” He shook her hand and winked. “Anytime at all.”

      “Thanks, Captain,” Jack said. “We’ll let you get back to it.”

      “Excellent. We’ll be ready to sail on time, Mr. Buchanan.”

      “Good

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